Doesn't Want to be a Flower
by GoodbyeCrimson
Summary: The story takes place inbetween Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. With Naruto and Sasuke gone Sakura falls into depression. Ino decides to help her out, but could just end up making Sakura's life more confussing. InoXSakura and some SakuraXLee.
1. Chapter 1: Can't be a Flower

Doesn't want to be a flower.

Chapter 1. can't be a flower

Her pink hair blew around as she sat on the roof of her house, looking down at the village. She took a deep sigh; this was the kind of thing Naruto would have done as he screamed down to passer-byes how he would be the next hokage.

Yet those days were over now. Sasuke was in Orochimaru's grasp, Naruto gone training. How long had it been since he left? Sakura racked her brain to remember. Around a year? It already seemed like so much longer than that. Would see ever see him again? Just how long would he be training? How much would he have changed when he returned? They were all questions she couldn't answer.

Another sigh. She looked up at the full moon, the faint shin reflecting off her headband.

"I'm the only one in my team left," She thought aloud, her sweet voice bitter with sadness. "There's no one to protect me anymore..."

"Don't tell me you're whining about that!" A voice yelled from below. It was a voice that was all to familiar to her-the voice of her long time friend and rival Ino Yamanaka.

"Leave me alone, Ino." She muttered, hugging her knees to her chest and looking up at the sky, avoiding those pale blue eyes that could only bring back memories of another pair of baby-blues.

"Do you know what time it is?" Ino called up to Sakura, her voice concerned.

"No." Sakura answered simply.

Ino sighed. Sakura hadn't been the same since her partners abandoned her. At first she had acted with twice as much vigor,excited to gain power and do anything to help save Sasuke. Yet slowly, like a flower that was going out of season, it's petals falling one by one, Sakura had lost her enthusiasm. Not only had it died, but it seemed to also take any trace of happiness she had bared with it.

"Sakura..." Ino's voice trailed off as she considered what to say. Sasuke leaving hadn't effected her as much...yet she knew the reason for that full well.

"Sakura, why don't you come down here." Ino urged her.

"I don't want to Ino." Sakura said In a quiet, detached voice as her inner self considered all the horrible things she could yell at Ino in order to receive some peace and quiet.

Ino sighed, jumping from a low tree branch and then onto the roof next to her friend.

"You can talk to me about it." She offered, sitting down next to her.

"I'd rather not." Sakura insisted.

"You're always like this-you're still a crybaby, Sakura." Ino laughed half-heartedly.

"You're right..." Sakura agreed.

Ino paused, not used to this passive Sakura.

"Go away, Ino-Pig." Sakura added sourly.

Ino ignored the insults and look Sakura up and down. She had grown so much in only one year, her pale legs longer and arms no longer devoid of muscles as they once had been. Still, Ino could only connect this scene to the one of long ago, when the two had first meet. Sakura had sat crying then, her knees hugged to her chest as they were now. Even then, Ino couldn't stand Sakura's bawling face. This face was far worst, empty and heavy with stress and unspoken emotions. Where had the passionate, angry Sakura disappeared to?

Ino placed one had tentatively on Sakura's smooth, bare shoulder. The pink-haired kunochi turned her head to glance at Ino, her anger just about at it's breaking point.

All of the sudden there was a warm sensation on her lips, the taste of Ino's plum lip-gloss filling her mouth. Ino gripped her shoulder, placing one hand on the back of Sakura's head so that she couldn't turn away. She pushed closer to Sakura, deepening the kiss. Sakura's eyes were wide, but caught in the moment and paralyzed by shock there was nothing she could do. Finally Ino released her, a sly smile on her face as she licked her lips. Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but the words refused to come to her. In moments Ino had jumped from the roof to the branch and then to the street.

Sakura sat on the roof in a daze, her hand touching her wet lips. Ino had gone, and all she had left behind was the taste of plums in Sakura's mouth.


	2. Chapter 2: Does this make me a Flower?

Chapter 2, Does this make me a flower?

"Something wrong, Sakura?" Lady Tsunade asked, noting that her student had just killeda the fish she was practicing medical ninjutsu on rather than healed it.

"No, I'm fine." Sakura gave a pained smiled as she remembered the night before.

And bam, another dead fish.

Tsunade sighed, "It's a good thing I don't have you healing people today. You're seriously off your game, Sakura."

"Sorry, Lady Tsuande." Sakura apologized.

"Maybe I should be training you harder." The Hokage thought aloud, bringing back memories that were even more scary than the kiss for Sakura. Anything was better than Tsunade's training from Hell.

"No, I'm fine, Lady Hokage! I'm just... hungry." Sakura grabbed at the first excuse that came to her mind.

"Oh, in that case go eat and when you get back here we'll train harder than you've even trained before." Tsuande ordered her.

Without much of a choice Sakura trudged out of the hokage's office and down to a nearby ramen stand. She ordered with a sigh and sat there, not hungry enough to eat but not rich enough to waste the food she had just negligently boughten.

"Sakura? Are you alright?" An upbeat yet concerned voice asked her.

"Oh, Lee, I didn't see you there." She shot him a pained smile. Great, just what she needed, another person asking her questions when she just wanted some time to herself._ This is just what I need._ She thought sarcastically as she looked the spandex clad boy up and down. _Wait, maybe this is just what I need..._

"Hey Lee.." She began, not sure how to bring up such a topic without coming forthright and stating it. "What would you do if someone you trusted kissed you?"

Lee raised one of his bushy eyebrows. "It... depends on the person."

Sakura blushed, hoping she wasn't giving him the wrong idea. "What if it was someone like..." She almost said Naruto, but speaking of her faraway friend would have caused her too much pain. "Someone like Neji."

Lee looked stunned at the sudden, awkward question, but soon enough he was laughing. "Good one, Sakura. That was very funny." he gave her a thumbs up and a toothy grin.

_Right. _She thought, _I shouldn't have depended on him to help me with this problem. I can't just rely on Lee now that Sasuke and Naruto are gone... I have to learn to deal with problems on my own now. _

Sakura stood up, her determination renewed. "Yeah, I'll see you later, OK Lee?"

"Oh, you're going so soon?" Lee looked disappointed.

"Unfortunately."

"Aren't you going to finish your ramen?" Lee struggled to find a reason to make Sakura stay.

"Sorry Lee. You can have the ramen, if you'd like." With those words Sakura was off. Before her lunch break was over she had one last stop to make: the flower shop that Ino worked at.

Sakura walked in to find Ino helping a costumer at the counter. She shot Sakura a wink as she talked to the costumer, and as she walked away A smirk covered Ino's face. She knew what Sakura had come to discus.

Sakura approached the counter, her legs shaky and her face red.

For the first time in her life, she was truly afraid of Ino.


	3. Chapter 3: Forced to be a Flower

Chapter 3, Forced to be a Flower

"Hey there, Sakura." Ino smiled at her long time friend as they sat in the back room of the flower shop where Ino had lead the pink haired beauty.

Sakura turned red, even the sound of her name made her remember the night before, all those words coming from Ino's lips-the lips Sakura herself had tasted.

_And I went and let her drag me into the storage room.. alone... not good..._ Sakura gulped. _This is Ino I'm talking about, though. I bet she just did it as a prank to get my mind off Naruto and Sasuke... I have no reason to get so flustered over it. _

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Ino smirked, narrowing her eyes seductively, making Sakura fidget and feel like the blond was seeing right through her false confidence-and her clothes.

"You know what I cam here to discus." Sakura tried to keep her voice firm.

"Nope." Ino's eyes told a different story, on the other hand.

"Ino-Pig, I'm not joking here."

"I'm not either." Her smirk widened.

_"Oh yes I am." _Sakura read in her eyes.

"I came to talk about what happened last night." the fifteen year old girl finally managed to spit out.

"What happened last night?" Ino played coy.

"I-you-...!" Sakura's temper began to rise.

"Why don't you show me what happened." Ino stepped closer to Sakura.

_Why is Ino doing this...? Shouldn't she just admit that she k-kissed me last night, laugh her butt off and get over it? _Sakura's mind was jumbled, and she wished that she had Shikamaru standing next to her to explain everything.

The rosy haired kunochi backed way from Ino, hitting the wall, keeping her eyes pinned to her calm, lusty friend.

"You don't have to fun away, Sakura." Ino took another step closer, pressing her body against Sakura's, their faces only inches apart. Sakura could feel th press of Ino's breasts against hers, and the blond could hear the beat of Sakura's frantic heart resonate throughout her body. "You don't have to be afraid." Ino tried to assure her.

She couldn't figure out why she hadn't resisted. She thought she would have been able to set her nerves and the queer (in both manners of the term) situation aside and preserve. She thought she would have been able to push Ino away with her herculean strength and scold her. She thought she would be able to stay on top of things.

Yet in the end she was just a flower, again. Manipulated and used.

Ino pressed against Sakura harder as they touched lips, sliding her wet tongue into Sakua's mouth and exploring every inch of her best friend's mouth.

_I'm still just a flower..._ Sakura squeezed her eye shut, waiting for the moment to end.


	4. Chapter 4: Blossoming of a Flower

Chapter 4. Blossoming of a Flower

Sakura was worried to open her eyes again, half hoping that if she kept them shut she could pretend she was elsewhere, with Naruto and Sasuke again. "Sakura..." She felt Ino's gentle hand brush her hair back, her lips pressing lightly against her cheek.

_Stop it!_ Sakura pressed her palm against Ino's shoulders, trying to peacefully get Ino leave her alone.

Her eyes opened, looking back at Ino's one visible powder blue one. Ino's face looked almost hurt as she stared back at her friend.

_Why's she look upset? She's the one who started this? _Sakura looked down at the grown, trying to avoid Ino's gaze.

"You don't have to be so cold, Sakura, just let me in." Ino pleaded, placing on of her hands on Sakura's upper thigh.

"I knew you were boy-crazed, but I didn't think you were_ this_ desperate." Sakura's eyes shot back up at Ino, her voice laced in venom. In the past, insults were something the two would throw at each other non-stop, a routine act in their friend/enemy relationship, and usually Ino would brush it off and combat it with a remark about Sakura's forehead or some other witty one-liner. This time was different.

Ino stared at Sakura, her eyes wide, her mouth just slightly a gasp. Her blond eyebrows pulled upward, her hand falling away from Sakura's thigh.

Sakura's mouth dropped, her eyes falling back to ground. _I've never seen Ino look that hurt... I didn't think..._

"No, Sakura, you're wrong."

Sakuras eyes returned to Ino's regardless of her will, a gentle smile covering the face that usually bore a sassy expression. Her eyes were warm, a sense of sweetness Sakura had never felt Ino possess was now emanating from her. In that instant, it seemed like Ino had become a different person, and even though Sakura had no clue why, she found herself believing the words Ino had spoken.

"Because... because I love you, Sakura."

Sakura froze. Why hadn't she thought of that? For all her knowledge and all the books she read, it seemed she had over thought everything. _But... this is Ino... she's always been mad over boys... always been my best friend.._

Ino took a step away from Sakura, giving her more personal space. "I _did_ like Sasuke, for awhile, anyway." She explained. "But eventually... I grew out of it, you know? I realized that I didn't know him that well, and I never really had... but... I didn't want to lose our rivalry. It was precious to me. Sasuke, he was the link that tied us together.

"When I saw you all alone like that last night, I couldn't help it. I had to do something to get your mind off of Sasuke and Naruto. I couldn't stand to see the girl I love like that. Even if it ruined our friendship, I wanted to. I wanted to do it, and maybe that makes me selfish, but it hurt me too much to see you like that."

Sakura's head was spinning, there was so much she wanted to say to Ino, and yet nothing came out of her gapping mouth.

"If you want to hate, you can go ahead, but you should know what I'm like when it comes to love. I won't give up, no matter the odds." Ino winked.

"Ino I... I could never hate you!" The thought sounded outrageous to Sakura, even after everything she had been through. "You're my best friend, Ino, and you always will be, regardless of what you do! Nothing could change that!"

Ino's eye grew wide once more, but slowly faded back into a pleased look. "Thanks Sakura."

"No," Sakura changed her mind. "there is something that could change that." Ino stood still as Sakura walked up to her, standing only inches apart, there bodies almost touching. "Ino, I love you, too" The pink-haired kunochi pressed her lips against Ino's holding the blonds hand as they both truly kissed together for the first time, the taste of Ino's plum lipgloss now a welcomed flavor in Sakura's mouth.


	5. Chapter 5: Can Finally be a Flower

Chapter 5, Can Finally be a Flower

"Sakura!" Lady Tsunade yelled, causing the pink haired teenager to jump.

"Y-yes?"

"You killed _another_ one." The hokage growled.

"S-sorry Lady Tsunade!" Sakura apologized, looking down at the lifeless fish.

"This makes it two days in a row, Sakura, want's wrong?" Tsunade sighed, giving Sakura a sympathetic look.

"Nothing is wrong, Lady Tsunade." Sakura smiled, the honesty written on her cheery face, her mood drastically different from the solemn, worried mood she had bore only a day ago.

"Is she giving you any trouble, Lady Hokage?" A voice giggled from the doorway of the hokage's office. There, standing with her long hair tied in it's usual pony tail and her face up in a grin stood Ino Yamanaka.

"Ino? I there something you need?"

"I was wondering if Sakura could stop her training for a bit and help me and Choji. The idiot over ate and I was wondering if Sakura would use her medical ninjutsu to help ease his pain." Ino shot a glance over at Sakura as she spoke to her superior.

"Alright, fair enough." Tsunade waved, the two girls walking out of the office and onto busy Konoha streets.

"You're such a liar." Sakura giggled once sure she was out of earshot of Tsunade.

"You went along with it!" Ino laughed, grabbing Sakura's hand in her own.

"I guess ditching one day of training won't kill me." Sakura joked, the two girls walking over to a nearby cafe.

"What should I get?" Ino pondered, seeking the option of her companion.

"I don't know." Sakura shrugged.

"Hello there, Sakura and Ino!" A buoyant voice called over to them. Running up to them was none other than Konoha's very own handsome devil (or so he would have liked to think, at least). "Why don't you allow me to treat you to lunch, Sakura?"

The two kunochis exchanged awkward glances. "Actually, I'm not so hungry any more." Sakura lied.

"Me too. We should go train." Ino tried to make a serious expression.

"Oh, would you like me to join you?" Lee grinned.

"T-that's OK, Lee, we're practicing medical ninjutsu, so it should really only be medic ninjas." Sakura tried to let him down easy.

"Well, see you later!" Ino waved, tightening her grip on Sakura's hand and running off with her, hoping Lee didn't decide to use his super speed to catch up to them.

"Where are we going, Ino?!" Sakura asked as she was tugged along.

"Just wait, OK?" Placing her trust in Ino Sakura shut her mouth, waiting to see where the sassy girl would lead her next.

Ino skidded to a stop as they entered one of the Leaf village's many dense forests. The branches blocked out most of the sun, a few of the bright rays sneaking through the barrier the trees had formed and dancing on the grass that lay underneath.

"No one will bother us here." She winked at Sakura.

"Honestly, I feel bad for Lee...but... those eyebrows!" Sakura exclaimed, leaning against a tree.

Ino laughed, "You know, we can do anything we want without anyone watching us."

As if on que Sakura stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Ino's waist and kissing her.

She felt a tug on her hair as Ino latched onto it, quickly overcoming Sakura as the two stumbled backwards into the tree that Sakura had been leaning against. When the two parted Ino grinned at Sakura, "So, did you manage to stop thinking so much about Naruto and Sasuke?" Ino joked.

Sakura looked at Ino, her smile falling and her eyes staring at her blankly as the words hung in the air. Ino gulped, realizing that mentioning the two was crossing the line. "Sakura-I... Just forget I said anything!" She tried to cover her mistake.

Sakura's flat mouth curved back upwards into a smile, her eyes turning from expressionless to warm, "I didn't think of them at all, Ino, and as long as you're around, you're the only one I'll be thinking about." The two shared one more passionate kiss, a theme that would continue as did their joyous days together.

**The End**

[Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for Reading!]


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